


Operation E + M

by loveydoveywrites



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Confessions, El is cute, F/M, Fluff, High School, Max is cool, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Season/Series 02, School Play, The whole gang is here, cuteness, mike is an idiot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-03-29 13:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13927812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveydoveywrites/pseuds/loveydoveywrites
Summary: Max and the crew formulate a plan to get Mike and El together sans the two lovebirds.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a fanfic so plz go easy on me soooo uhhhh yeah and plz leave comments/feedback on this as it’ll help me guide this story! Thanks!

“I think I’m in love with her.”

Max looked up from her crappy cafeteria food to process what she just heard come out of the Wheeler kid’s mouth.

In _love_?

Yeah sure, Mike obviously had strong feelings for El, but she never thought of the idea that love was a possibility. Weren’t they too young? Like 14 or 15 right? Even when Lucas explained how Mike and El met on that fateful week of November, she’d never think they’d be so close. The Zoomer of the group scoffed at the looks on Lucas and Dustin’s faces. Lucas spit out his chocolate milk on to his tray and Dustin missed the hole on his juice box causing the straw to practically bend in half.

He didn’t know what he’d said to make his group of friends look at him like he was speaking another language. Okay so maybe he wasn’t really paying attention to what the topic of their conversation was about, but it was only because he was distracted by the telekinetic girl only a few feet away from him in the school cafeteria communicating with other girls her age. It was her second week of school and she started off strong with the help of her friends of course. After months of tutoring from Nancy and Mike, she was able to catch up and attend her first year of high school with her friends. Most of the students in Hawkins High called her Jane, but Mike and the others would call her El. Nicknames. It was what Mike taught to her on the first night they met. She decided it was nice to have that nickname. It was special.

Mike had his chin resting on the palm of his hand when he said the 4 letter word out loud in front of the party. From Lucas’s eyes, Mike looked like he was completely off in another dimension while to Dustin, he looked as if he was struck with a love potion. To Max, well she didn’t notice much as she was poking the gunk of food on her lunch tray.

“Dude! Oh my god we so have to get you guys in a room to like confess your love to each other!” Dustin dramatically waved his hand in the air dropping his bent straw as he looked over to Lucas.

“Uh Mike? Are you okay?” Lucas questioned Mike as he took in the perplexed expression that painted his freckled face.

“What did I say?” Mike finally asked, but instantly felt more stupid when he heard his group turn silent and turned to see their shocked faces.

“You seriously didn’t hear yourself?” Max asked, but Mike just shrugged and looked at the rest of the group for answers.

“Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind.” Dustin sighed as Lucas and Max rolled their eyes in unison.

_________________

 

It was 5th period, right after lunch, when Will saw the loads of doodles on Mike’s History notebook.

“Hey, Mike, can I see your notes? I missed a few points.” Will whispered as their substitute teacher listed off all the things that blah blah blah did.

“Yeah, sure” Mike handed his notebook to Will as he tried his best to not fall asleep in class.

Will flipped through the pages of his friend’s notebook, but stopped abruptly when his eyes met the familiar numbers of Eleven’s tattoo. He scanned the page to find that it was completely covered in different doodles that were either crazy shapes and lines or something that had to do with El. Varieties of her name were copied with different shaped hearts and he even caught one with a heart that said “E + M.” He quickly turned the page to copy down the history notes he was missing because he felt that he had intruded into his friend’s privacy long enough.

Will gave back his notebook after a while and for the rest of the period, Will observed his friend’s hands as they were once again decorating the pages of his notebook with little drawings of El. He knew, actually the whole group knew, how much Mike and El cared for each other at such a young age.

He’s got it bad. Will thought as he smiled throughout the rest of their boring lesson.

 

_______________

 

“Earth to El!” Max whispered to El even though it sounded more like a scream.

El jumped in her seat and quickly flushed with red when the whole class turned in their seats too look at her.

“Something the matter dear?” Ms. Kathryn questioned El’s interruption to which El sheepishly grinned.

“Um no everything’s fine.” She was glad that she actually formulated a sentence instead of just silently shaking her head like she used to. Mike told her she was getting better everyday.

She sighed with relief as her 7th period science teacher continued her lesson and didn’t question her anymore.

“Why’d you do that?” El whispered back to Max who was trying to hold in a giggle.

“Because! You’re off in dream land again thinking about him again!” Max retorted with annoyance in her tone, but couldn’t hide the small smile she made at the end of her sentence.

“Him? Who’s him?”

Max gaped at her best friend. Did she really not know who she was talking about? Max thought to herself before opening her mouth again.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?  
M-i-k-e. “ Max spelled out his name slowly for El to understand and she got just the response she was expecting.

El blushed and looked at the back of Mike’s head only 3 seats away from her. She didn’t respond to Max after that, being too embarrassed, but mostly wanting to focus on Mike’s head of hair, to say something back to her red headed friend.

“Oh my god.” Max mumbled underneath her breath as she groaned and continued to lazily write down some more science notes.

These two were going to be the death of her. Actually they were going to drag the whole party into a ditch and just get married probably. It was actually jaw dropping how blind they both were. There had to be some way they could get snapped back to reality and just confess their love for each other somehow. She thought of Dustin’s plan about locking them in a room together, but quickly scratched it out of her mind thinking it’d be too much pressure and just super cliche. Maybe if they just recorded them saying it? No, that wouldn’t work either. Max laughed to herself as she imagined a situation where they were forced to say “I love you” to each other but gasped as the idea came to her.

“You too? Is there something wrong Max?” Ms. Kathryn inquired the surprised red head.

“Oh nothing! Please continue!” Max said in a bright tone that confused the teacher even more. She turned her back to her to write on the chalkboard again as Max smiled brightly to herself.

 _Oh I so have to tell the others about this_. Max wrote down her amazing plan to remind herself to inform the other members on how they were going to get Mike and El to confess.

The graphite on her #2 pencil left the words,

“Operation E + M”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is gonna be very short (sorry about that!) it’s not super interesting and action filled, but I just really felt like posting something :) please leave comments!

“Hey nerds!”

Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, and El turned from their chained bikes (Eleven was yet to have one of her own)to see Max waving her hands at them signaling for them to wait for her.

 _Wow they actually responded._ Max held in a laugh and smiled as she walked up to the party. “I just need to talk to you guys, but you two can go home it’s fine.” Max gathered Dustin, Lucas, and Will while shooing off the confused (soon to be) couple.

“Max is everything okay?” El raised her eyebrow at the mischievous girl to which she replied with “Yeah, yeah we’re cool, but I just need to go over the homework with them.” _Way to go on making a reasonable explanation Max._

“Oh okay.” With a hint of confusion still painted on Mike and El’s faces, they walk off in the opposite direction with Mike’s bike.

“What was that about?” Lucas finally asked as they started walking with their bikes (and skateboard) further away from Mike and Eleven. “Yeah, that was weird Max and we don’t even have that much work to do today! That substitute teacher from history today didn’t even pass out the homework! He totally forgot it was hilarious.” Dustin excitedly patted Will’s shoulder.   
“We only got, like, 2 sheets of homework today.” Will finally chipped in adding his own comment about their homework for the day.

“I’ll explain it once we get to-“ Max stopped.   
_Wait whose house should we go to?_

“To?” Lucas questioned the now zoned out zoomer. “Which house do you guys want to go to? Definitely not mine, Billy’s still a huge dick. Will?” Max finally spoke looking at the small boy.

“Uh sorry guys, but my mom told me she’d be out for the day running errands or something like that.” The boy plainly stated as he looked over to Dustin.

“It’s ok Will we can just go to mine. My mom actually got a new cat so I guess this can be your opportunity to meet him after all these months!” Dustin gave his signature smile to the group feeling accomplished with the fact that they had a cool, and what some would say tubular, place to hang out.

“Oh yeah! What the guy’s name again? Tews?” Lucas chuckled while Dustin frowned.

“My mom’s cat, not mine.” Dustin rolled his eyes as Will snickered beside him.

“Come on guys let’s go! I gotta get home before five so that means we have at least 2 hours for me to explain everything!” Max whines as she motioned for them to finally get on their bikes and get with her own pace on her skateboard.

“Ok! ok! Geez woman.” Dustin mumbled the last part, but Max pretended not to hear it not wanting to waste another second.

 

             ___________________

 

  
“What do you think they are doing?” El quietly spoke as they walked along a calm road with Mike’s bike rolling with them that’d soon lead to the Wheeler’s. Her sentences improved drastically over the past few months, according to her teachers and the famous Chief of Hawkins, but there was always room for improvement. Since the party bailed on them to do, whatever they were doing, the two decided they were just going to hang out in Mike’s basement.

“I don’t know, maybe they’re just-“ Mike cut himself short, realizing El’s question. What were they doing?

“Mike?” El shifted her head to face the freckles boy beside her. “Oh um actually, I don’t have any clue on what they’re doing.” Mike admitted, feeling a little defeated feeling like he always had to know the answer to help El. Now that he’d come to think of it, Max was acting a little unusual.  

El let out a sigh. It was clear she was still a little worried and concerned for the rest of their party.

“Hey it’s ok? Remember friends wouldn’t lie so Max is probably helping the boys out with their assignments. Even though we literally got nothing today, but yeah they wouldn’t lie. I bet they’re all arguing over what to do right now.” Mike laughed thinking of the image.

  
She was still a bit concerned for Max’s strange behavior a few minutes ago, but knew Mike was probably right.  At least she had some alone time with her favorite friend.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know not a lot happened, but in the next chapter we’ll get a peek at what Mike and El are doin ;) thanks for reading!


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